diff --git a/internal/handlers/server_busy_internal_test.go b/internal/handlers/server_busy_internal_test.go
index 2f3471c..25a4d8f 100644
--- a/internal/handlers/server_busy_internal_test.go
+++ b/internal/handlers/server_busy_internal_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package handlers
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
 	"net/http"
@@ -47,3 +48,39 @@ func TestServerBusyAnswers503(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// TestProcessingTimedOutAnswers503 checks that both image routes answer 503
+// with the server busy error when the image service reports that processing
+// stopped at the deadline of the request doing it, wrapped as the service
+// wraps it. A request that waited for that processing gets this error while
+// its own deadline may have time left.
+func TestProcessingTimedOutAnswers503(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	h := &Handlers{log: slog.New(slog.DiscardHandler)}
+	req := &imgcache.ImageRequest{SourceHost: "img.example.com", SourcePath: "/a.jpg"}
+	err := fmt.Errorf("%w: failed to encode: %w",
+		imgcache.ErrProcessingTimedOut, context.DeadlineExceeded)
+
+	plain := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.respondImageError(plain, req, err)
+
+	encrypted := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.handleImageError(encrypted, err)
+
+	for route, rec := range map[string]*httptest.ResponseRecorder{
+		"/v1/image/": plain, "/v1/e/": encrypted,
+	} {
+		t.Logf("%s: status = %d, body = %q", route, rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+
+		if rec.Code != http.StatusServiceUnavailable {
+			t.Errorf("%s: status = %d, want %d",
+				route, rec.Code, http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+		}
+
+		if !strings.Contains(rec.Body.String(), "server busy, try again later") {
+			t.Errorf("%s: body = %q, want the server busy error",
+				route, rec.Body.String())
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/imageprocessor/deadline_internal_test.go b/internal/imageprocessor/deadline_internal_test.go
index 4d35ad0..3e34e9e 100644
--- a/internal/imageprocessor/deadline_internal_test.go
+++ b/internal/imageprocessor/deadline_internal_test.go
@@ -88,3 +88,31 @@ func checkProcessStopsAtDeadline(
 		t.Errorf("%d slots still held after Process() returned", held)
 	}
 }
+
+// inputNotToBeRead is a Process input that fails the test when it is read.
+type inputNotToBeRead struct {
+	t *testing.T
+}
+
+func (r inputNotToBeRead) Read([]byte) (int, error) {
+	r.t.Error("Process read its input although its deadline had passed")
+
+	return 0, io.EOF
+}
+
+// TestProcessReadsNoInputOnceDeadlinePassed checks that Process, called with
+// a context whose deadline passed before it starts, gives its slot back
+// without reading its input. With a slot free, the select in acquireSlot
+// takes the slot or sees the ended context at random, so Process is called
+// many times.
+func TestProcessReadsNoInputOnceDeadlinePassed(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithDeadline(t.Context(),
+		time.Now().Add(-time.Second))
+	defer cancel()
+
+	for range 100 {
+		checkProcessStopsAtDeadline(ctx, t, inputNotToBeRead{t: t})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/imgcache/concurrent_misses_internal_test.go b/internal/imgcache/concurrent_misses_internal_test.go
index ad0e1b2..b81d63a 100644
--- a/internal/imgcache/concurrent_misses_internal_test.go
+++ b/internal/imgcache/concurrent_misses_internal_test.go
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/getsentry/sentry-go"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/httpfetcher"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/imageprocessor"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/magic"
 )
 
@@ -435,6 +436,47 @@ func TestService_Get_ReturnsByItsDeadline(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestService_Get_WaiterGetsProcessingTimedOut has a request with no deadline
+// join the held fetch of a first request with a short one. With the only
+// processing slot held, the first request's transcode waits for it until the
+// first request's deadline ends, and stops then. The waiting request, whose
+// own context has not ended, must get ErrProcessingTimedOut, which the image
+// routes answer 503 as when pixa is busy.
+func TestService_Get_WaiterGetsProcessingTimedOut(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	svc, fixtures, fetcher := setupHeldFetchService(t)
+	svc.processor = imageprocessor.New(
+		imageprocessor.Params{MaxConcurrentProcessing: 1},
+	)
+
+	holdProcessingSlot(t, svc.processor)
+
+	const firstTimeout = 500 * time.Millisecond
+
+	firstCtx, cancelFirst := context.WithTimeout(t.Context(), firstTimeout)
+	defer cancelFirst()
+
+	first := startGet(firstCtx, svc, photoVariant(fixtures, 85, FitCover))
+
+	<-fetcher.started
+
+	waiter := startGet(t.Context(), svc, photoVariant(fixtures, 85, FitCover))
+
+	time.Sleep(arrivalWait)
+	fetcher.releaseFetches()
+
+	t.Logf("first request: Get() error = %v", (<-first).err)
+
+	got := <-waiter
+	t.Logf("waiting request: Get() error = %v", got.err)
+
+	if !errors.Is(got.err, ErrProcessingTimedOut) {
+		t.Errorf("waiting request: Get() error = %v, want %v",
+			got.err, ErrProcessingTimedOut)
+	}
+}
+
 // panickingFetcher panics on every fetch.
 type panickingFetcher struct{}
 
diff --git a/internal/imgcache/service.go b/internal/imgcache/service.go
index 52684a9..297116d 100644
--- a/internal/imgcache/service.go
+++ b/internal/imgcache/service.go
@@ -128,6 +128,12 @@ func NewService(cfg *ServiceConfig) (*Service, error) {
 // ErrNegativeCached is returned when a URL is in the negative cache (recently failed).
 var ErrNegativeCached = errors.New("request is in negative cache (recently failed)")
 
+// ErrProcessingTimedOut is returned when processing an image stopped because
+// the downstream_timeout of the request doing it ended, to that request and to
+// every request that waited for its image.
+var ErrProcessingTimedOut = errors.New(
+	"image processing stopped at the deadline of the request doing it")
+
 // Get retrieves a processed image, fetching and processing if necessary.
 func (s *Service) Get(ctx context.Context, req *ImageRequest) (*ImageResponse, error) {
 	// Propagate AllowHTTP setting to the request